Over the past year and a half, the Renton Community Foundation has turned a corner; transforming itself from a grass-roots, all-volunteer led organization to a professionally-led, community-based leader in philanthropy. As our new Executive Director and board members have made informational presentations and networked with other agencies, RCF has earned a much greater presence in our community, touching more lives and addressing more issues. This was evidenced by the huge increase in attendance at our annual Circle of Giving Awards Celebration. Close to 140 people crowded into the cafeteria at the Renton Technical College to witness the disbursement of over $47,000 in grants - almost twice the number of attendees in past years!
This transformation however, involves more than just an increase in name recognition. It can also be attributed to the fact that RCF accepted a goal of becoming the ”leader in philanthropy” in our area. That means we hope to become the place donors come to for questions about how they can benefit their community. We have already made great strides to gain this level of accountability by partnering with Planned Giving Services of Seattle (to help donors navigate the complexities of many planned gifts), beginning a site visit program (to identify for donors the programs and credentials of local service providers), and networking within the community (by providing help to other non-profits with board development, strategic planning or fundraising).
This is an exciting time to be President of the Renton Community Foundation Board of Directors and to be working on behalf of the community I love so much. I hope you will join me as we continue this journey to make our community stronger and to prepare it for the many challenges that lie ahead.
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